Sharp Integration Adds Synaptics to NTT DoCoMo’s Arsenal

The integration is significant not only because of Sharp’s prominence in consumer electronics, but also because the new mobile device represents another prong in NTT DoCoMo’s groundbreaking efforts to institutionalize the high authentication standards of the FIDO Alliance

Synaptics’ Natural ID fingerprint sensor has been adapted into a new smartphone from Sharp. The Aquos ZETA SH-03G is being offered through Japanese mobile service provider NTT DoCoMo.

The integration is significant not only because of Sharp’s prominence in consumer electronics, but also because the new mobile device represents another prong in NTT DoCoMo’s groundbreaking efforts to institutionalize the high authentication standards of the FIDO Alliance. Having become a FIDO board member last month, NTT DoCoMo is now aggressively adopting biometric security as a password replacement for all of its customers.

Of course, the integration is also just good business for Synaptics. This month the company reached a milestone in having shipped over 200 million units employing its Natural ID technology, and this newest integration caps that achievement nicely. In a statement, Synaptics executive Ritu Favre called the integration “yet another example of our expanding leadership and market share within the biometrics industry.”